Barstool Bush
Predictions

Toronto Blue Jays at Chicago Cubs

By Bush StaffUpdated 63d ago·2 min read
Toronto Blue JaysTOR(37-38)
Chicago CubsCHC(39-36)
2—16
FINAL
123456789RHE
TOR
001001000252
CHC
70000450—16180

Kevin Gausman vs. Ben Brown is the kind of Friday matinee that looks like a pitcher's duel on paper and usually delivers. Gausman is coming off seven innings of one-run, one-hit ball against the Yankees on June 13. Brown countered with a 7-inning, 1-run outing of his own and now owns a 1.74 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP. The cards above tell you the lines — what they don't tell you is that both guys are humming.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Blue Jays(37-38)
WWWLL
2
Cubs(39-36)
WLWLW
16
Best BetCubs -125
Pregame

Cubs at -118 with Ben Brown on the mound and his 1.74 ERA is a fair price, not a gift. Toronto's lineup is missing Varsho, Santander, and Clement Friday, which thins the threat against a guy already holding hitters to a .222 average. Lay the short price on the better arm and the deeper lineup.

The Blue Jays come in hot. Three straight wins in Boston, including a 3-0 shutout, dragged them back to 37-38 after the Yankees roughed them up at home. Toronto's lineup is going to be patchwork though — Daulton Varsho and Anthony Santander are still on the IL, Ernie Clement isn't in the lineup Friday per the latest injury note, and Max Scherzer just landed on the 15-day with back spasms. Manager John Schneider said Shane Bieber is finally targeting a Monday return in Houston, but that doesn't help today.

Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman
(4-7)·4.19 ERA
Jun 13 vs Yankees
ND
7.0IP
1ER
7K
2BB
105P
06/19 Lineup
Chicago Cubs
Ben Brown
(4-2)·1.85 ERA
Jun 13 @ Giants
W
5.0IP
1ER
3K
3BB
86P
06/19 Lineup
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
(37-38)
Jun 18W@ Red Sox4-3
Jun 17W@ Red Sox3-0
Jun 16W@ Red Sox6-1
Jun 14Lvs Yankees3-8
Jun 13Lvs Yankees1-3
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
(39-36)
Jun 18Wvs Rockies8-6
Jun 17Lvs Rockies2-5
Jun 16Wvs Rockies5-4
Jun 14L@ Giants1-5
Jun 14W@ Giants6-1

Chicago has been the choppier team — alternating wins and losses for the last 5 — but they've been winning the games that matter at home, including taking 2 of 3 from Colorado. The bigger concern is the rotation around Brown: Justin Steele, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, and Matthew Boyd are all on the shelf, with Taillon out until after the All-Star break. Friday is the day they've got their ace card to play. The other 2 games of this series get dicier in a hurry.

Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
(16)
  • Day-To-DayErnie Clement (2B) — Clement is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs.06/19
  • Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart (C) — no05/08
  • Day-To-DayChay Yeager (RP) — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
  • 10-Day-ILDaulton Varsho (CF) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Varsho (wrist) could be activated from the 10-day injured list when first eligible Saturday, but he will "have to do a lot today and tomorrow" in order to make that happen, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/18
  • 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa (2B) — Sosa (wrist) could begin a rehab assignment next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/18
  • 10-Day-ILAddison Barger (RF) — Barger (elbow) might not begin a rehab assignment until early next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/18
  • 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to back spasms.06/17
  • developmental listFernando Perez (P)
  • 60-Day-ILShane Bieber (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Friday that "all signs point towards" Bieber (elbow) making his season debut Monday against the Astros, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/19
  • 60-Day-ILAnthony Santander (RF) — Santander (shoulder) could resume hitting within the next week, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/18
  • 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia (RP) — Garcia (elbow) struck out the side Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo and is scheduled for another rehab outing Thursday, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca.06/17
  • 60-Day-ILLazaro Estrada (RP) — Estrada (shoulder) struck out three over three perfect innings of relief Sunday in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo.06/09
  • 60-Day-ILJoe Mantiply (RP) — Mantiply will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair some damage in his left knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.06/04
  • 60-Day-ILJose Berrios (SP) — Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Berrios underwent full Tommy John surgery Wednesday in addition to having a stress fracture repaired, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.05/27
  • 60-Day-ILCody Ponce (SP) — Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILBowden Francis (SP) — The Blue Jays placed Francis (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.05/08
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
(14)
  • Day-To-DayEdward Cabrera (SP) — Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Cabrera's right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to be on a normal schedule leading up to his next start, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.06/17
  • Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins (SP) — The Cubs announced Wednesday that Wiggins (elbow) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters at the organization's complex in Arizona and could soon be ready to pitch in games, MLB.com reports.06/13
  • Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell (RP) — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
  • Day-To-DayJeff Brigham (RP) — Brigham was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, retroactive to April 6, with a left oblique strain, TwinsDaily.com reports.05/08
  • 15-Day-ILMatthew Boyd (SP) — Boyd (knee/shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.06/17
  • 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia (RP) — Palencia (2-1) worked around a walk to toss a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Monday's 5-4 victory over the Rockies. He struck out three.06/16
  • 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon (SP) — Taillon (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.06/09
  • 15-Day-ILRiley Martin (RP) — Martin has been diagnosed with flexor strain in his left elbow and is expected to miss eight weeks, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILJustin Steele (SP) — Steele will throw plyo balls for the next week and then progress to throwing a baseball, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.06/15
  • 60-Day-ILHunter Harvey (RP) — The Cubs moved Harvey (triceps) from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.05/17
  • 60-Day-ILPorter Hodge (RP) — The Cubs transferred Hodge (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILShelby Miller (RP) — The Cubs placed Miller (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILCade Horton (SP) — The Cubs transferred Horton (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.05/08
  • 60-Day-ILTyler Austin (1B) — The Cubs placed Austin (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

The stylistic read here is straightforward: Gausman's splitter against a Cubs lineup that strikes out plenty, Brown's fastball-curve combo against a Jays group missing 3 of its better bats. Pete Crow-Armstrong (16 steals) and Ian Happ (16 homers) are the names to watch for Chicago. For Toronto, Kazuma Okamoto's 15 homers have been the only consistent source of pop with Varsho and Santander missing.

The market has Chicago at -118 with a 7.5 total, which feels about right for two starters who've been giving up ones and twos. Bullpens decide this if it stays close, and Daniel Palencia being on the 15-day IL is a real subtraction from the Cubs' back end. Friday afternoon baseball at Wrigley, two arms locked in — that'll do.

Sources

MLBToronto Blue JaysChicago CubsPolymarketKalshiKevin GausmanBen Brown